Filtern
Erscheinungsjahr
- 2012 (21) (entfernen)
Dokumenttyp
Schlagworte
- Laser beam welding (6)
- Laser welding (5)
- Lorentz force (4)
- Electromagnetic weld pool support (3)
- Laserstrahlschweißen (3)
- Marangoni stresses (3)
- Natural convection (3)
- Corrosion (2)
- Electron beam welding (2)
- Elektronenstrahlschweißen (2)
IIW-2326
Austenitic and austenitic-ferritic CrMnNi-stainless steels are suitable materials in the transport and automotive industry due to their high corrosion resistance and high strength that allows weight and cost savings. This study focuses on the laser weldability of a commercial lean duplex and an austenitic high manganese stainless steel. The impact of different laser sources, i.e. a 5 kW CO2- and a 4 kW Nd:YAG-laser, and of the main process parameters on the resulting weld quality will be investigated. One important aspect will concern the appearance of weld defects such as pores and hot cracks. The factors causing such internal imperfections will be analysed in order to find effective methods for preventing them. Weld microstructure and the associated corrosion and mechanical properties will be assessed with different techniques and adequate process parameters for high quality welds will be determined. The advantages and limitations of the applied welding processes will be evaluated for future applications.
The main characteristic feature of deep penetration laser beam welding is a large temperature difference between the plasma cavity (keyhole) in the centre of the weld pool and the melting/solidification front. Large temperature gradients in the weld pool result in a very intensive thermocapillary (Marangoni) convection. The weld pool surface width becomes very large and unstable. However, an externally applied oscillating magnetic field can stabilize the surface of the melt (the Garnier-Moreau effect, 1983). In the present work this technology was used to stabilize the surface of the weld pool in partial penetration 4.4 kW Nd:YAG laser beam welding of AW-5754 alloyin PA position. The AC magnet was mounted on the laser welding head. The oscillating magnet field was oriented perpendicular to the welding direction. It was found that the AC magnet field can drastically reduce the surface roughness of welds. The analysis of the x-ray images shows a rastic reduction of porosity content in the welds. This effect can be explained as a result of electromagnetic ectification of the melt.
An oscillating (AC) magnet field was used to suppress porosity formation and to stabilize the surface of the weld pool in bead-on-plate partial penetration 4.4 kW Nd:YAG laser beam welding of AW-5754 plates in PA position. The magnet was mounted on the laser welding head. The magnet field (up to 0.4 T and 10 kHz) was oriented perpendicular the welding direction.
The analysis of the weld cross-sections and x-ray images shows a drastic reduction (up to 90%) of porosity contents in the welds. The observed effects can be explained in terms of electromagnetically (EM)
induced 'Archimedes' forces as well as the EM stirring flow in the weld pool. Moreover, usage of AC magnetic fields results in a significant reduction (up to 50%) of the surface roughness of the welds. This effect can be explained in terms of electromagnetic (EM)
contribution to the surface tension (the Garnier-Moreau effect)
A multi-physics numerical model was developed to investigate the influence of a steady magnetic field during partial penetration keyhole laser beam welding of an aluminum plate in flat position. Three-dimensional heat transfer, fluid dynamics including phase transition and electromagnetic field partial differential equations were solved with the finite element differential equation solver COMSOL Multiphysics. The magnetic field was aligned perpendicularly to the welding direction. The main objective of these simulations was to estimate the critical value of the magnetic field needed to suppress convective flows in the weld pool during high-power (up to 20 kW) laser beam welding of aluminum alloys with up to 20 mm deep weld pool. It reveals that steady magnetic fields with corresponding Hartmann numbers Ha^2 ~ 10^4 based on the half-width of the weld pool can effectively suppress convective flows in the weld pool. Moreover, the typically occurring wineglass-shape of the weld cross section caused by thermo-capillary flow is weakened.
Due to significant developments over the last decades, laser beam welding has become a well-established industrial process offering high processing speeds and causing low component distortions. But an important issue currently preventing its intense use, especially in the energy or plant construction sector where high alloy steels are applied, concerns hot crack formation. Although considerable advances in understanding hot cracking mechanisms have been made, most of the known influencing factors are metallurgical in character. The thermo-mechanical effects are barely considered or quantified. Up to the present, there exist numerous hot cracking tests that were however conceived for welding methods other than laser beam welding. Considering the special features of the laser welding process, such as high cooling rates and the narrow process zone, results obtained with other welding techniques and test procedures cannot be transferred to laser beam welding. In this study, the laser beam weldability of various stainless steels was examined in terms of their susceptibility to hot cracking by means of the controlled tensile weldability test, which was proven to be suitable for use in conjunction with CO2 laser welding. This test allows the application of tensile strain at a variable fixed cross-head speed transverse to the welding direction. Full and partial penetration bead-on-plate welds were produced. In a first attempt to determine the impact of the applied external strain on the local transient strains and strain rates near the weld pool, an optical system was used to measure the backside surface of partial penetration welds. The results showed the influence of the strain and the strain rates on hot crack formation. Furthermore, a classification of the studied austenitic, duplex and ferritic stainless steels according to the established test criteria (critical strain and cross-head speed) was conducted.
Manganese alloyed stainless steels represent a cost-effective alternative to conventional CrNi- stainless steels due to strong fluctuations of the market prices for nickel seen during the last years. In CrMnNi steels, nickel is partially replaced by lower-cost manganese and small amounts of nitrogen for stabilization of the austenitic phase. This also brings benefits regarding the mechanical properties, as it results in an increased material strength. Laser beam welding of such materials was investigated for direct comparison with standard CrNi steels. Main emphasis was laid on finding adequate process parameters to achieve a stable welding process and obtain a good weld quality. Two different laser sources, a 4.4 kW Nd:YAG and a 5 kW CO2 laser, were used to weld 1.5 mm stainless steel sheets in continuous wave mode. A high-Mn austenitic (1.4376) and a lean duplex (1.4162) steel, as well as the standard austenitic (1.4301) and duplex (1.4362) grades were selected as test materials. Both butt and lap joint configurations were studied. Experiments were carried out systematically, varying the welding speed, laser power and focal point position in order to determine adequate process windows. The influence of the shielding gas type and flow rate on the process stability and the weld quality were investigated. The effects of weld edge preparation on the weld appearance and quality levels attained were also examined. The obtained welded joints were subjected to radiographic tests for detection of internal imperfections. Also a metallurgical characterization of the samples regarding the resulting phase composition or balance and hardness depending on the welding process parameters was conducted. Furthermore, tensile and potentiodynamic tests were performed to evaluate the mechanical and corrosion properties, respectively. The results provide an insight into the advantages and limitations of the laser beam welding process for joining high-manganese alloyed stainless steels. Conditions for the production of defect-free and corrosion-resistant welds having good mechanical properties could be determined.
In a repair process chain, damaged areas or cracks can be removed by milling and subsequently be reconditioned with new material deposition. The use of laser metal deposition has been investigated for this purpose. The material has been deposited into different groove shapes, using both stainless steel and Ti-6Al-4 V. The influence of welding parameters on the microstructure and the heat affected zone has been studied. The parameters have been modified in order to achieve low heat input and consequently low distortion as well as low metallurgical impact. Finally, an evaluation of the opportunities for an automatized repair process is made.